Fairytales
by Laguna's twin sister
Summary: If she had only been a damsel in distress, then he could've been a better knight in shining armor - or so he thought.


Disclaimers: I don't own FF12

* * *

Fairytales

"Nanny, I heard a sound," the young girl gasped when she was suddenly jolted awake. She heard the clanking sounds, the marching, and even the explosions from outside the castle. In her young mind she already knew that something was not right. Suddenly frantic, her big blue eyes focused on the spot where she expected her nanny to be as she eagerly searched for her.

Yet her eyes widened even more, her fear momentarily forgotten, when she saw another familiar figure by the windowsill softly conversing with the very person she was looking for.

"Basch! You are here!"

The young knight looked surprised himself as he saw the princess wide awake in her bed. He cast a tentative glance at the woman beside him before he kneeled down by the princess's bed and forced a smile.

Suddenly seeing the knight by the bed somehow calmed her speeding heart though the fear still lingered at the back of her head. "Basch, he's not here to take someone away again, is he?"

He heard the tremor in her voice, and he was suddenly unaware of what to say to make the situation less aggravating. "Who do you speak of, your majesty?"

"War," she replied flatly before she bit her lip. "What if war comes and takes father away? I heard the soldiers this morning, they said war is coming and he's going to take more men with him."

The girl's innocence pinched his heart for he knew that she was still far too young to comprehend the true danger their kingdom was currently facing. Yet she was also no longer young enough not to understand true fear, for even in her tender years she had already lost too much, too soon, that mere reassurances may no longer suffice to appease her.

Yet the simple truth was that the enemies have come, crossing the borders like thieves in the night. The castle was currently under siege and the battle had become too fierce outside that the King started to fear for his children's safety. He was tasked to escape with the young princess through the Garamsythe Waterway and he did not know how to make the ordeal less painful for his charge.

"No one is here, princess, Sir Basch merely came to visit you, that's all," the nurse spoke from behind him, trying hard to keep her voice jovial for the young girl's sake. She glanced meaningfully at the knight as she pulled the girl from the bed and carried her to the small dresser.

"She is right, your majesty," Basch tentatively added as he followed the nurse's lead. He cleared his throat, hoping to tone down the apprehension in his voice, and then said, "I have forgotten to … tell you something very important…"

"Something very important?" she was suddenly very curious and for once the fear seemed to disappear from her eyes. She did not even notice how her nanny fussed over her and dressed her in a thick cloak to prepare for their escape.

"Aye," he nodded as he smiled lopsidedly once more. "I have forgotten to…"

"To tell you a bedtime story," the Nanny piped up when she saw that he was starting to run out of answers.

"A story?" her eyes widened again, but this time not out of fear but out of interest. "I love hearing stories."

Basch breathed a sigh of relief when the young princess did not see through their lie. "Your nanny told me that you already heard all the tales from Dalmasca," he glanced at the nurse and she nodded in reply, as they continued their façade for the princess's sake. "Why, it would be interesting to know a story from another place – do you not think so your majesty?"

"Another place? Do you mean your home?"

"Aye," Basch nodded eagerly as scooped the young princess in his arms and walked towards the door of the secret passage in her room. "I shall tell you a story from Landis."

The girl was thankfully hanging on his every word that she did not notice her nanny leave through the other entrance of her room. The nurse clutched one of the princess's gowns in her hands as she went out escorted by the other knights to create a decoy for the enemy. The knight and the princess on the other hand went deeper into the dark passageway to escape from the palace.

He hoisted her up near his chest, with her head resting by the nook of his neck to prevent her from seeing what was ahead. Before the girl could even ask where they were going, he started to tell the story as promised.

_Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a kingdom far far away. Her beauty was unparalleled, and her grace rivaled that of goddesses. Envious of her radiance, the wicked sorceress cast a spell upon her - whenever the sun has set and the kingdom was enveloped by the frigid air of the night, the Princess turned into a majestic red flower. Yet to the sorceress's dismay, the Princess still stood out in the darkness even in her cursed state. Thus, she captured her and placed her in a hidden cove where no one else could admire her beauty._

_As luck would have it, a lost and wounded knight stumbled upon the Princess's cove one night. The delicate scent reached his senses and he wanted nothing more than to find its source for it gave him some comfort amidst his pain. Finally, he saw the majestic red flower in the middle of the wilderness and wondered why such a beautiful blossom thrived at such a place. Enthralled by its beauty, he wanted to pluck it, but decided not to in the end for he was afraid the flower would merely wilt and die if he did so. Instead, he lay beside it and was lulled to sleep by its fragrance._

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Vaan whined as he frantically rubbed his arms to ward off the cold. "I knew we should have bought that map from that stingy moogle."

Seeing no other impending threat, Balthier replaced his gun in his holster and brushed the snow off his head. "And what, to spoil the fun?" he drawled out. "A sky pirate never loses his way, on air, sea or land."

Vaan rolled his eyes and groaned even more, "then couldn't we get there faster? I'm freezing out here."

They've been forewarned of how merciless the snowstorms could be at the Paramina Rift, yet they all decided to go anyway when they realized the gravity of the situation. The impending war could no longer be stopped by ordinary means now that the nethicites are being used by the enemy. Getting the Sword of Kings seemed to be the only way for them to counter the empire so they knew they needed to obtain it as soon as possible.

Ashe's mood had been as cold as the weather in the rift after hearing the words of Al Cid and the Gran Kilitas. No one dared to go against her wishes when she decided to proceed to the Stillshrine immediately. Yet despite her determination, she was not unaffected by the cold as her comrades were. In truth, she was probably suffering the most. She was from the royal house of a dessert kingdom after all, and had never experienced a pauper's life. She had never slept on cold concrete nor spent a night without a roof over her head. Surely the cold bothered her. Those thoughts filled the knight's mind, making his frown fiercer than the weather.

"Couldn't we rest, even just for a minute or two…?" Penelo gasped as she rested by a boulder. Her voice could barely be heard, and her throat must have felt too dry after shouting all those spells earlier. It was then that they all knew that the time they would lose by resting would be well worth it than if they proceeded with a bigger handicap. Penelo then smiled in relief as she pulled Vaan closer to herself in a feeble attempt to ward off the cold.

Basch approached the pair and draped a white pelt around their shoulders. They both looked up and smiled in gratitude though it was barely discernable with their chattering teeth. He then walked a little further and gave the sky pirates the other pelts that he managed to poach from the wolves he found earlier.

"It seems your foresight saves us again, my good captain," Balthier said, trying hard to keep the shiver off his voice, "you really have a knack for survival even in the most intolerable situations."

"I can say the same for you, sky pirate," Basch muttered in reply, "but not for her, I am afraid." He then cast a glance at the princess. "She probably feels colder than the rest of us."

The sky pirate raised one eyebrow when he saw Basch handing him yet another pelt. "Fran doesn't need one, do you my dear?"

Fran shook her head and nudged her partner when she realized that he had been pulling the poor knight's leg. "Now is not the time to jest Balthier."

He shrugged when he realized his most trusted partner was siding with someone else. "And what do you propose that I do with this, hm? I don't suppose Captain Fon Ronsenburg is especially concerned for my well being."

"Just give it to her Balthier," Basch sighed in frustration. "Please."

"_You_ give it," he replied and childishly pushed the pelt and Basch's arms towards Ashe's direction. "I can't always be the only courteous man in this group. Besides, she is your charge after all."

"She would not accept it, if it came from me," the older man grumbled. He glanced at Ashe again and noticed how her shivers had increased. "Please Balthier."

"You should try convincing her instead of me. Look, I think she may be turning blue."

With this, Basch made a guttural sound and tensely turned the other way. He trudged his way to the princess after he was convinced that the sky pirate was not about to change his mind. Once his back was turned against them, Fran elbowed the man beside her with the intention of subtly hurting him.

"Fran," Balthier hissed as he rubbed his side from under the pelt. "Was that really necessary?"

The Viera shook her head and cast a meaningful glare at him before she left his side and decided to huddle with Vaan and Penelo by the boulder.

"Why are men with good intentions always misunderstood," the sky pirate muttered to himself as he stood awkwardly alone in the cold.

* * *

"Your majesty…" Basch started as he offered her the white pelt. Just as he had expected, she merely turned away and shook her head. "It is unbearably cold, your majesty. Surely you are not used to this."

She looked at him sharply with fire in her eyes, and he wondered why he thought she felt cold in the first place. "I have experienced too many things in the two years that you were gone. I am not the same child you used to protect."

He clutched the pelt tighter when he heard her words, sharp pain spreading through his chest.

"I am not as weak as you think me to be. Disabuse your mind from thinking that I still need you as my keeper."

He knew this was bound to happen, but it still hurt him when she said the words. Looking at her still form made the ache worse. She bravely fought her shivers; she bit her lip as though to stop herself from uttering a single complaint. He wanted to comfort her so badly, but she was right. He was not there in her most desperate hour, and somehow she learned how to survive on her own. He wanted to comfort her so badly, but at that point he started to doubt that he still had such a right. He closed his eyes briefly as he calmed his own heart when he realized the truth.

"Even the strongest have their limitations."

"But that does not stop them from trying to surpass it," she replied, as she started to walk away from him. To her surprise he grabbed her arm and she couldn't help but look at him once more. Yet the moment their eyes met, she suddenly felt him withdraw his hands, abruptly letting go.

She still saw the pain in his eyes nonetheless. Guiltily, she looked away from him and instead focused on her snow covered boots. She then realized too late how she snapped at him again. She had been doing it repeatedly since she saw him once more in the Shiva. Even after they have reconciled, the pain that the past two years brought her still made her act cruelly, albeit unintentionally. With Vossler's recent betrayal, it was as if her barely healed wounds became ruptured once more. To make matters worse, the man who least deserved more suffering became the constant subject of her wrath.

"Forgive me… I…" he whispered as he bowed his head in his own guilt, "I did not mean to-"

"-No, it is I who was out of line," she said as she tentatively pulled the pelt from his hands. "Thank you Basch. I thank you for your concern." She said meekly, as her eyes remained downcast. She placed the pelt around her shoulders and quietly walked away from him.

He bowed his head and closed his eyes, no longer finding the strength to stop her.

* * *

_He awoke the next day, surprised to see that his wounds have been healed. Other than that, he realized that the red flower was gone and in its place, he found the princess, watching over him. He realized that the princess had healed him and so he promised to devote his life to her. The princess smiled and shook her head, saying her only wish was to break her curse. Thus the knight vowed to help her do just that._

"_What could break the spell? The knight asked, to which the princess replied, "true love."_

_The knight smiled and offered to help her find her prince, and to his surprise, the princess meekly declined. _

"_Many a day, I have tried to escape yet at night I am helpless in my cursed state,"_

"_I shall protect you then," the knight vowed, "I shall be your sanctuary outside of this wilderness."_

"The princess and the knight traveled…" he abruptly stopped whispering when he heard the girl sniffling in his arms. "Your majesty?"

He hid in a narrow column near the sluice gate and bent down. He pried the princess's arms away from his neck and let her sit on his bent knee. He frowned when he saw her shaking before him, with her lips tightly closed as though she were trying not to make a sound. He lifted his free hand and wiped the tears off her face, lingering slightly as he touched her flushed cheeks.

"Princess, I am sorry… I had been insensitive to your needs, I…" to this the girl shook her head as she lifted one hand to rub her eye. "I am sorry… I am so sorry." He embraced the vulnerable child tightly, their situation and her stature completely forgotten. The sight of her in tears crushed his heart and it no longer mattered that she was his liege's daughter. He wanted to give her all the comfort that he could muster, and as it was, he already felt too lacking to do the task. Still, he wanted to give her everything he had, for he knew in his heart that this child deserved no less.

"You… would not stop …telling the story… will you?" she struggled to say in between sobs. "I tried … so hard … not to be afraid. Basch was… protecting me… like the knight…in the story."

He brushed the back of her head affectionately as he tightened his embrace. "You are very brave," he murmured, humbled by her words. "You do not have to hide it. Tell me when it is unbearable."

"I'm not afraid of the dark…" she said defensively, as she pulled away from him and frowned, "and the monsters here are nothing like those… those monsters that you killed from under my bed."

He struggled not to show any outward reaction when he remembered the fictional monsters she had asked him to slay. Yet he couldn't stop himself from smiling tenderly at his young charge. Just by looking at her, he was reminded of how he was convinced that life was still worth living. This child who gave her full trust, who gave all her faith and continued to bolster his battered spirit made all his past misgivings pale in comparison to what he could and would do to keep her safe.

Yet in the end, it seemed as though he could never repay her, even with his life, after all the strength she had given him.

"But _maybe_ I am afraid… I do not know but…"

"We will get through this. You will survive this ordeal. I swear it." He said solemnly as he rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand, coaxing her to smile once more. "No matter what happens, I will protect you, always."

She looked at him unwaveringly, as though she fully comprehended what he just said. She then narrowed her eyes and had a stern, almost frowning expression. "Hai," she said trying to copy his deep voice and accent but failing miserably.

It brought a smile to his lips nonetheless as he brushed her head for one last time until he carried her in his arms once more. "Shall I continue the story then, your majesty?"

"Hai" she said once more, only to bury her head on his shoulder to cover a fit of giggles, her fear forgotten once more for she believed the knight's promise wholeheartedly.

"Very well." he coughed as he covered his own chuckle, trying not to let the princess know just how infectious her laughs could be.

* * *

All hell broke loose in the frigid cleft, as winged fiends surrounded the group amidst the violent snowstorm. The usually imperturbable Viera yelled spells frantically as her arrows became inutile due to the blowing wind. Penelo's voice came behind her though it still shook from both fear and tiredness. Vaan stood by her, shielding her from the garuda's attacks while Balthier deftly climbed the boulders to get a better aim. Ashe's fist tightly clenched around her sword, as her frustration started to get the better of her. Hitting the target proved to be a challenge when even standing despite the gusts of wind became almost unbearable. She could hardly even see the fire spells cast by her companions for everything just seemed hazy and white.

Reluctantly, she replaced her sword and shield by her side as she clasped her hands together and tried to recall the fire spell. She was left vulnerable from both the possible attacks of the fiends as well as the fearsome snowstorm, and yet at the back of her mind she knew she would be safe. She looked behind her, expecting to see a familiar figure and yet when she did…

He was not there.

She felt the fear gripping her then as she looked around and tried to hear all the sounds she could other than the howling wind. She heard gunshots…Fran and Penelo's voices… she saw Vaan moving agilely … and yet… she found no signs of him anywhere.

"Basch!" she shouted, without even thinking, as she looked behind her once more. Nothing. There was nothing. Balthier noticed her and he moved slightly in the boulder and tried to search for the man as well.

"Basch!" she called out for him again as she tentatively looked at the edge of the cliff, almost afraid of seeing him there. "Basch where are you?"

She backtracked and went down the trail, hoping perhaps he merely failed to catch up. They had been at the end of the group, as Balthier, Fran and Vaan led the way earlier. She knew he was there to watch the rear… she knew, even as they walked in silence, even as she never spared him a glance. She just always expected him to be there. He had been gone for the past two years, and for a while she never even wanted to see his shadow. Yet now that she knew what transpired, now that she remembered how it was to be under his care… his presence behind her was starting to become somewhat like a security blanket.

"Basch!" she shouted again, as she felt the rough tug at her throat. She might have choked, she was not sure, but the pain in her chest was spreading to her stomach… and it was almost as if it brought tears to her eyes… "Basch…"

In her despair she failed to hear the garuda make an ear piercing sound. It briefly glowed as it spread its wings only to recoil it and shift it by its side. It moved its head and focused on its target, with a crazed look in its eyes.

"Ashe, look out!" Balthier had seen it once before – the garuda was known to end its life with its prey when it felt as though it was nearing its end. Travelers called it the divine wind yet to them, it held no other meaning than death.

She barely had time to be surprised as she saw the light rapidly going towards her. She stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. Yet suddenly, everything turned as she felt something grab her back… She felt the air, the sounds, the light. She did not know what was happening anymore, except that she was falling… falling… and then the whiteness turned black.

* * *

She felt the ground moving, but it was only seconds later that she realized that she was in someone's arms as her carrier trudged in the snow. She heard him breathing heavily as she opened her eyes yet somehow her situation did not seem as peculiar. Basch had saved her after all.

She reached up to touch the side of his face and this prompted him to stop, as her touch seemed to have scalded him. Awkwardly, he bent down and released her from his hold while staying nearby just in case she was still not strong enough to stand.

She meekly bowed her head as she stepped away. "I am fine now. Thank you. You seemed to have taken care of me." She could not even look at him, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically timid. She had not forgotten the way she snapped at him before – but in the end he remained true to his word, he still took her up as his charge.

He shook his head as he slightly moved back. "We have been separated from the group," he said nonchalantly, and Ashe wondered if the cold rift just made his voice colder.

Somehow the knowledge that they were now on their own did not frighten her as much as it should, but she still felt apprehensive when she realized that she might have to spend more time with Basch. Yet after the deafening silence, she realized something enough to lift her spirit. "The storm, it has stopped," she gasped, as she finally found something positive amidst their dire situation.

"Aye, thankfully it had," he replied, his monotonous voice still chilled her in the storm's place. "Yet now the fiends would more likely spawn and the snow would not be able to hide us anymore."

She nodded as she grabbed her sword and took a fighting stance. She let him lead the way this time around and they both remained silent as they began their trek.

As she looked at his strong back, she wondered if he was still hurting from the words she said earlier. She now felt even more pathetic after feeling that she still needed him in the desperate situation she was in earlier. How could she have rejected him when she desperately sought him later on? It seems not much has changed after all. He still made her feel safe while she still needed him around.

She felt so alone when he was not there – even when she was at the company of other people. Perhaps it was because he had already been there, even when she was weak, even when she did not need him. He had always been at her beck and call… to serve her, to protect her, to simply be there for her.

He never seemed to tire of his task. Even now, he seemed hell-bent on clearing the way before her …and yet somehow… he looked quite distracted.

Distracted might not be the appropriate term to describe his current state, she realized later on, for in truth he seemed to be regressing by the second.

He moved rather sluggishly as he hurled his sword at more skeletons that crossed their path. Yet he still did not stop from trying to clear their path. He did not even make a sound when one of them cast a thunder spell on him. In truth, he looked rather… numb.

"Basch?" Ashe asked nervously as she saw his aim slip once more. She moved forward and finished off the fiend only to find the knight moving on to the next one. He took more blows than was necessary for his reflexes seemed to get worse and worse each second. Still he did not make a sound, and he almost looked like a sinner seeking penance from the spawning undead.

She kicked away the last of the fiends in her path and started running. Basch continued to walk ahead and it seemed as though her voice reached him no longer. He continued walking and idly dropped his sword first, and then he started removing his gauntlets. Next he pulled off his vest and carelessly tossed it in the snow behind him.

"Basch, stop!" she shouted once more, in a more frantic voice as she gathered up his discarded things in her arms. It was when she got closer that she noticed the marks the artic wolves' claws left on his skin… probably brought about when he gathered the pelts they had used earlier. There was also a deep gash in his shoulder, though it did not seem to bother him in the slightest bit.

"Basch!" she shouted, her voice breaking and it prompted him to finally stop in his tracks. Without thinking she dropped his things as she grabbed him from behind. She held him tightly, afraid that he would walk further if she did not hold him still.

Despite his stupor, he seemed to have felt her embrace, for he turned his head slightly and looked at her.

"Princess…" he murmured, as if in a trance as he raised one of his hands to brush off the hair away from her face.

Ashe blinked back the tears she did not know she was shedding when she felt his gentle hands on her head. "Basch? Basch can you hear me?"

"Princess," he repeated with his voice softer than before, as his expression broke into a smile. His hands slipped off her head and his knees buckled up, causing him to fall on the ground, taking her with him.

She eased her way off of him and sat in the snow beside him. She placed her hands on his cheeks, on his arms, and on his chest, and she realized that he was freezing all over. Thinking that the cold was getting into his head, she worriedly replaced his vest around his shoulders when she could no longer lift his arm to make him wear it once more. She swiftly rubbed his limbs with one hand as her other hand cradled his head.

"Basch… please… do not fall asleep."

"Asleep?" he whispered as his eyes continued to look distant.

"Stay with me Basch… please," she said with a quivering voice. "Do not close your eyes. Do not leave me."

"I… I am here to tell you a bedtime story…" he coughed slightly as his lips twisted once more into a lopsided grin. "A story… from Landis…"

"Yes, yes." she coaxed him as she helped him to a sitting position, letting him lean on her for support. "Please, tell me, tell anything. Just do not fall asleep."

He continued to smile as he closed his eyes. She caressed his cheek and urged him to open his eyes once more to which he thankfully obliged.

"Once upon a time… there was a princess who lived in a kingdom far far away…"

She struggled to stand as she placed his arm firmly around her back. She then placed her other arm on his chest as she pulled him to stand. He continued to tell his story, though his words slurred from time to time, as though he were in a drunken state.

_This is all my fault, _she thought as she found more wounds in his already scarred body. She found more bruises and gashes on the side of his torso, as though _he tumbled down the cliff_ when she miraculously did not have a single scratch on her body. She also realized that his sword arm was slightly swollen, and faintly she wondered if carrying her around just made it worse. She could barely contain the guilt in her heart and she was so near her breaking point. Her mind screamed for release.

He groaned once and he slipped off her hold, falling on the ground in a heap. He moved slightly as he dragged himself in the snow covered ground, curling himself up in an unconscious attempt to ward off the cold. Helplessly she got down on her knees beside him as she pulled him into her arms. She placed his head by her chest as she coiled her own body in an attempt to cover him as much as she could.

He continued to mumble in his delirium and she listened to his words in an attempt to push the guilt and fear off her mind.

_After much coaxing and encouragement, the princess finally agreed to the knight's plan. They traveled much during the day, but at night, the knight tried his best to keep his vow. He battled the wind, hale, and rain. He vanquished the monsters that threatened them as well. Yet in the end, despite his efforts, he too knew that the princess might die if they do not break the curse soon._

_Finally, one night, a valiant prince passed by and noticed how the knight diligently hovered over the flower. By now it was no longer as beautiful in its former glory, and its color was almost indiscernible in the dark. _

_Seeing his chance, the knight asked the prince, "Do you not find it strange that I go to such great lengths to protect a small flower?"_

_The prince shook his head and replied, "there is nothing more noble than protecting a delicate creature in the middle of this wasteland." he bent down and noticed how the flower looked withered and frail. "I am afraid however that if you do not act soon, this flower will certainly die. My land is filled with rich soil and green pastures. Surely that place would be more fitting for it to grow." _

"_Will you care for this delicate flower then, and give it your compassion?" the knight asked, his voice slightly apprehensive as he issued his challenge. _

"_Compassion, nay, a delicate flower needs love and care, to thrive and to grow," the prince replied as he caressed its petals ever so gently._

_Satisfied with his answer, the knight plucked the flower from the ground and handed it to the prince. The prince took it and cradled it in his hands, noticing for the first time how it was still beautiful despite its current state. _

_Soon it was dawn and the darkness crept away from the sky. The flower shone in the Prince's hands and transformed…_

She recognized the story she was being told – after all, it had been a story she had asked him to retell her so many times before.

"_To the Prince's surprise, the flower turned into a princess once more_…" he abruptly stopped with a racking cough.

She gently rubbed his chest with her free hand as she continued the story for him, "The princess then said, _I am free from the curse, I have found true love_."

After his coughing fit had ceased, he continued to look at her with glazed eyes. She looked back at him, not expecting him to say any more for she was well aware that he had reached the end of the story. They looked at each other for a while, both at ease with the comfortable silence, as though they were back in time. At that moment she was a young girl again, and he was her guardian. The gap had not existed; the trust was completely there. She felt the warmth in her heart, and she suddenly wondered how she lived the past few years full of anger and hatred for this man who was part of her fondest memories.

He then abruplty had a passing look of sorrow in his eyes, as though he were suddenly back to his lucid state. Perhaps he remembered the scorn she had hurled at him; perhaps he thought she no longer remembered the good times they shared.

He grimaced before he finally closed his eyes, causing Ashe to panic. She did not want this moment to end – for once she wanted to continue holding onto something dear. She did not care about her vulnerability anymore. She was suddenly willing to admit her weakness if that meant he would continue to be there.

"Basch… Basch do not sleep. Surely that is not the end of the story," she stubbornly nagged him as she shook him slightly. "Why cannot the princess marry the knight?" she whispered as frantically as when she was a child when she rubbed his cheek to nudge him awake. "You always ended this story by saying that the Princess and the Prince got betrothed and lived a life full of happiness and love. Why? Why couldn't she be happy with the knight instead?"

She stared at him with her wide blue eyes, so familiar and yet so different from the child from years ago. She sounded anxious, eager to know the answer to her questions and yet her tone now carried wisdom, and somehow the words she sought to hear from him were more than what he was willing to disclose. She seemed just as fervent as when she was younger, but now she was not as naïve. The question she asked no longer even carried the same meaning; in truth she was probably in a better position to answer her own question than he.

_Because that is how fairytales should be, _had been his staple answer, and it was the most logical conclusion he thought her young mind could understand. _The princess always marries the prince in a fairytale. _He knew that incomplete answer would no longer suffice. He could no longer protect her from the truth. How could he when he could not even prevent her suffering all these years? He tried to give her a fairytale – yet in the end he did not have the ability to sustain this lie. On her own, perhaps she already came to realize that his story was not what it purported to be. The harsh reality had crushed the image he had painted.

He let her see his eyes once more, no longer having the strength to hide his despair, no longer seeing any reason to hide it from her.

"_Aye, the princess had found true love, but to her dismay, she realized that the curse had only just begun when she felt her heart die as she rode away with her prince, leaving the bowing knight behind." _

At first she did not understand what he just said…

"I am sorry."

…yet when he turned his head and cast an empty gaze at the distance, she realized that he just gave her the true ending she had tried to pry from him for years. She always thought that the end had been most unfavorable, but it was only when he told her the truth that she realized the real cause for the story's bitter ending

Her fairytale had been nothing but a great Landisian tragedy all along.

"I am sorry princess; I could not protect her… I could not…" she clearly heard the agony in his voice as a tear rolled down his cheek. "She is hurting still… I could not protect her."

She watched him confusedly as she felt more pricks in her heart as more of his tears fell.

"She had suffered so much. I could not protect her. I made a vow… and yet I am helpless. I could not do anything to ease her pain." His lips quivered and she knew it was not from the cold.

"Who do you speak of Basch? I could not understand," she asked with a shaking voice, as she felt the tears brimming in her eyes as well.

He brushed his cheek against her hand when she reached down to wipe his tears away. He closed his eyes and whimpered, "My dearest flower, my princess."

Her own tears fell then as she heard his words – not merely because of the agony in his voice, but also because of the needless pain her coldness caused him.

Her thirst for strength became the well of his despair.

The past two years had been the most painful in her life, yet the very fact that she lived despite her wounds proved that she got stronger because of it. Perhaps she truly had changed, for she was far from the Ashe he knew prior to his incarceration. She was now irritable but indifferent. She was rash yet jaded. The man already took the blame for so many crimes, and yet despite the firm exterior he showed, the change in her affected him greatly after all – he had himself to blame for the innocence she had lost.

She constantly struggled to be strong, especially after the last person she had trusted betrayed her as well. She pushed Basch away and let him feel unneeded, perhaps out of her own fear. Yet he remained most loyal and not once did he try to stop her, even if it had pained him. She constantly cast him aside, and he in turn chose to remain behind her back. He raised her when she stumbled; he shielded her from the unseen dangers. He let her walk ahead, even at the expense of him getting left behind.

She might have learned to adapt to harsher environments, but in the end, she was still his fragile flower, his cherished jewel.

"You have protected me to the best of your abilities. I could not ask for more," she smiled amidst her tears as she bent down to whisper to his ears, "I would like you to stay, stay with me. I would be safe with no one else but you, my precious knight." She closed her eyes and her tears mingled with his, and she almost wished she could wash his sadness away with it.

She need not pray for a miracle, for in truth she was already one in his heart.

Her humbling words gradually eased the pain; and he realized that his princess had healed him once more. In his heart he pledged his life to her all over again.

He looked at her, timidly at first, until she smiled. She was graced with that familiar sight as she felt their bond get rekindled – this time, for good. The doubts and fears have dissipated. Years have passed and things have changed, but to each other they remained the same. Though they both now walked in their journey at a different pace, she was still his princess as he was still her knight. Their story could not seem to get any better.

Because now they both knew theirs was not a fairytale.

-the end-

* * *

Author's notes: It did not end up as mushy as i had intended... but anyway, I suppose that's that. My friend read this and she wondered why Basch started removing his clothes (hehehe fanservice) but I was geeky the day I wrote that part and I read the first aid manual by red cross. Apparently people suffering from hypothermia do that at some stage of the condition. I live in a tropical country so I could only assume that the first aid manual was telling me the truth. hehe. thank you very much for reading!


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